Kate Riordan – författare

Kate Riordan’s Firecombe Manor is a dual-narrative tale about two women from different eras united by the secrets hidden within an English mansion.   In 1933, naive twenty-two-year-old Alice—pregnant and unmarried—is in disgrace. Her mother banishes her from London to secluded Fiercombe Manor in rural Gloucestershire, where she can hide under the watchful eye of her mother’s old friend, the housekeeper Mrs. Jelphs. The manor’s owners, the Stantons, live abroad, and with her cover story of a recently-deceased husband, Alice can have her baby there before giving it up for adoption and returning home. But as she endures the long, hot summer at Fiercombe awaiting the baby’s birth, Alice senses that something is amiss with the house and its absentee owners.   Thirty years earlier, pregnant Lady Elizabeth Stanton desperately hopes for the heir her husband desires. Tormented by the memory of what happened after the birth of her first child, a daughter, she grows increasingly terrified that history will repeat itself, with devastating consequences.   After meeting Tom, the young scion of the Stanton family, Alice becomes determined to uncover the clan’s tragic past and exorcise the ghosts of this idyllic, isolated house. But nothing can prepare Alice for what she uncovers. Soon it is her turn to fear: can she escape the tragic fate of the other women who have lived in the Fiercombe valley . . .  “Borrowing from gothic literature staples Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca and Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, Riordan creates a visceral and lively narrative that seizes the reader’s attention.” —Library Journal (Starred Review)

Brought to you by Penguin.The Heatwave is coming . . . This summer''s perfect escapist read - a captivating story of a long-buried family secret.In Provence, under a sweltering sun, Sylvie returns to the crumbling family home of La Reverie. In her hand is the letter that summoned her, and by her side is Emma, her youngest daughter.Yet every corner of the house is haunted by the spectre of Elodie, her first child. Beautiful, manipulative Elodie, whose long-ago death the villagers still whisper about.Sylvie has tried to put the past behind her. But like the spreading forest fires, memories of Elodie seem to be creeping ever closer.Because there''s a secret Sylvie has concealed about what happened to Elodie all those summers ago . . .''Exquisite writing and a compelling story that will keep you up late into the night!'' KATIE FFORDE, bestselling author of A Rose Petal Summer''Pages humming with heat, secrets and suspense. I loved it'' DINAH JEFFRIES, bestselling author of The Tea Planters Wife''Welcome to Provence for a holiday stay you will not forget in a hurry!'' 5***** Reader Review''Sultry, atmospheric and unsettling - a book to lose yourself in this summer'' ERIN KELLY, bestselling author of He Said She Said''The only book you need this summer. Gripping, well-paced and full of thrills'' 5***** reader review© Kate Riordan 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of The Shadow Hour by Kate Riordan, read by Eve Webster, Rachel Bavidge, Andy Secombe, Roy Mcmillan, Helen Fraser, Daniel Weyman and Steven France.Nineteen twenty-two. Grace has been sent to the stately and crumbling Fenix House to follow in her grandmother''s footsteps as a governess. But when she meets the house''s inhabitants, people who she had only previously heard of in stories, the cracks in her grandmother''s tale begin to show. Secrets appear to live in the house''s very walls and everybody is resolutely protecting their own.Why has she been sent here? Why did her grandmother leave after just one summer? And as the past collides with the present, can Grace unravel these secrets and discover who her grandmother, and who she, really is?Praise for The Shadow Hour''I was immediately drawn in by this beautifully written tale. I loved the sense of intrigue and the air of mystery at Fenix House, and was itching for answers as the two narratives unfolded'' Dinah Jefferies author of The Tea Planter''s Wife''I''m a sucker for unreliable narrators, crumbling country houses stuffed full of secrets and a story that veers between the present and the past, so it was a delight to curl up with The Shadow Hour over the course of a rainy weekend'' Red Online''It''s wonderful - the dark suspense and evocative descriptions are perfect'' Liz Fenwick, author of Under a Cornish Sky''We loved last years The Girl in the Photograph and this latest atmospheric saga is just as thrilling'' Essentials''The parallel stories of Fenix House governess Harriet Jenner and her granddaughter Grace had me absolutely gripped. Intelligent, poignant, unexpected: highly recommended'' Louise Candlish, author of The Sudden Departure of the Frasers''Beautifully written and utterly compelling, I loved this'' Katie Fforde''Gorgeously written - I was instantly drawn in to the mysteries of Fenix House and Kate''s evocative storytelling held me rapt until the very end'' Lucy Diamond''Full of dark intrigue, rich description and haunting secrets, this kept me reading and reading! Beautifully written and compelling until the end. I adored it'' Ella Harper, author of The Years of Loving You''What a beautiful and evocative writer she is! I adored the richness of her descriptions, the faint sense of menace just below the surface, and the huge skill with which she wove in clues, questions and little fragments of information. It was a thoroughly absorbing read'' Iona Grey''The language is lyrical and yet accessible, the plot intricate but satisfying. There is romance, period detail, and dark secrets. This book has TV adaptation written all over it! A great book-club read with loads to discuss'' The Cheltonian

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Stranger by Kate Riordan. Read by Pippa Bennett-Warner, Hattie Morahan, Gabrielle Glaister, Chris Nelson and Laura Kirman. When you''re the outsider, who do you trust?Cornwall, 1940.For decades, Penhallow Hall has stood frozen in time, protecting the secrets of its isolated inhabitants. But the far corners of England are no shelter from the war, and Penhallow must finally open its doors to strangers.Three newcomers arrive, each looking to escape their past. They adjust easily to the routine - nightly blackouts, the threat of invasion - but tensions mount and secrets are forced into the open. For one of them is not there by choice. And then, in the hushed hours of deepest night, a young woman is taken by the sea.Was it simply a tragic accident? Or should the inhabitants of Penhallow have been more careful about whom they invited in?

Brought to you by Penguin. AN INTENSE, EVOCATIVE DESTINATION THRILLER FOR FANS OF LUCY CLARKE AND WILL DEANI thought I saw her today. Down by the water. It was her hair I noticed. Do you ever see her, Lex? Does she haunt you too?I haven’t been back to Eos since I first met my step-sister, Lex.It’s been twenty-five years since that summer.Since we went from strangers to sisters.Since Abigail went missing.Since we told the first lie.Now we’re back together on the island.So much has changed since we were teenagers.We’ve both tried to move on from the past – from each other.But the island won’t let us escape our secrets.Only me and Lex know the truth about Abigail.We’ve been living a lie for so long.And if the truth comes out – neither of us will survive it…''Compelling and utterly transportive, a scorching summer read. Katherine Fleet’s gorgeous line by line writing and masterful build of suspense held me rapt on heat-drenched Greek island shores'' Lucy Clarke''I devoured it. Beautiful writing and characterisation and a gripping plot. Such an atmospheric read - I loved every sun soaked page'' Sarah Pearse‘An evocative, twisting, sun-soaked thriller. Katherine Fleet''s novel should be in every beach bag this summer'' Hannah Richell© Katherine Fleet 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024

If you love Julia Quinn''s Bridgerton, Downton Abbey and Pride and Prejudice you''ll fall head over heels for Sanditon!